Bolivia 1725-P Y 8 reales
The first specimen was lot 248 in Áureo y Calicó sale 347 (Barcelona, March 2020), where it sold for €6,300 (about US$8,314 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1725. Luis I. Potosí. Y. 8 reales. Redonda. Tipo "Real". Triple fecha. Atractiva. Extraordinariamente rara y más sin perforación. Sólo hemos tenido este ejemplar EBC-. (kingdom of Spain, Louis I, eight reales of 1725, Potosí mint, round "royal" type. Three dates, attractive, extraordinarily rare, especially unpierced. We know of only this example. About extremely fine.)"
Royals are known of this type from the Potosí mint but all are rare. The regular cob issues are not nearly as nice. In 1725, king Philip V abdicated in favor of his favorite son Louis, who died ten months later, forcing the old king to resume the throne. Issues of Luis are consequently rare. The second specimen was lot 44031 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $10,200. The catalog description[2] noted,
"An Outstanding Luis I Royal, BOLIVIA. "Royal" Presentation Cob 8 Reales, 1725-P Y. Potosi Mint. Luis I. PCGS Genuine--Plated & Holed, EF Details. The EXTREMELY RARE "royal" issues of Luis I are particularly sought-after because the regular issue cobs of the period seldom show any trace of the king's name, being attributable to him only from the date and assayer's mark. This example shows what makes the royals so special: the king's complete name and ordinal, "LVIS PRIMERO", appears with no gaps on the reverse peripheral legend. Turning the coin around reveals a full and bold "POTOSI" to the right of the central devices. The expected hole is located at 6 o'clock, and traces of a past gilding give the coin a pale champaign tint. We do not expect these minor drawbacks to discourage the bidders who will be eager to acquire this exceptional and beautiful piece. From the S.P. Rutherford Collection. Ex: Sedwick 20 (11/2016) Lot # 967."
Recorded mintage: unknown but a rare date.
Specification: 27.07 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen 26,69 g, the second specimen 28.65 g.
Catalog reference: Lázaro 304, AC. 44 (plate coin), Cayón-10123, KM-R35 (royal), KM 35 (regular crude issue).
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Juan Carlos I, 1474 a 2001, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2008.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- Paoletti, Emilio, 8 Reales Cobs of Potosí, 2nd Ed., Buenos Aires, 2006.
- [1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduard Domingo and Lluís Lalana, Subasta Publica 347: Seleccion de 500 Monedas, Medallas y Billetes, Barcelona: Áureo y Calicó, 2020.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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